Step 3: The oil

Step 4: Final approach

Refrain from stirring the chips whilst cooking but keep a watchful eye whilst slurping that cold beer.Once you start to see the chips browning whack u...

These chips rock as a snack or side dish. Whilst its a very simple recipe Ive been refining this method for 20yrs and its suprising how many people dont know how to make them good, so after many compliments heres an instructable.

Oh wow, these were amazing and so simple to make! I made mine poutine-style with a meaty gravy and cheddar. For the first time ever, I did not get so much as a splash of hot oil during the frying process, nothing burned, and the end result was non-greasy and crisp. Damn. You might be an enemy of mine now because these suckers are getting made every weekend. The only difference was I used whatever potatoes were lying aroung, and they worked out fine. Sorry about the picture, but those were the only survivors by the time I thought to document.

I have to admit I am totally delighted about your homefries. I grew up in the 70's eating Fish&Chips served in a wrap, great memories. I do also like a spot of malt vinegar splashed over the whole bunch of it too. haha Thank you, most surely.

I grew up in Gods own country (Yorkshire Uk) and remember all to well as a young man 8-9 in the 50s buying chips (4 old pennies aprox 3 np today these were on a piece of white paper in a nest of old newspaper (clean but used) and were doused with plenty of salt and vineger which was non brewed condiment and is still sold here as chip shop vineger it was actually a concentrate made of caramelised sugar and acetic acid sold in gallon jars and diluted at the chippy with water so varied from shop to shop (less water the better)

Here in the uk we have many versions of the perfect chip. My own favorite is to place cut chips in water containing a teaspoon of sea salt and a teaspoon of garlic paste.and boil until they just start to fall apart . transfer to a colander to drain for 5 mins before giving a gentle shake just to ruff up the edges then transfer to hot vegetable oil proximately 180 degrees and cook until golden brown.

Also agree with baking them twice. They should first boil on a low temperature (150-170 degrees celcius), until they start to sing (produce a squeaking noise).

Then they need to be taken out, and drain all oil from it by throwing them inside a basket or something else that lets poor out the oil (not on a towel, a towel lets more damp in, and makes them less crunchy). Let them jump high.

After draining the oil, they can cool down (which also means you can do the first bake a while before the party starts).

The Second bake is to make them crunchy. Turn up the temperature to 190 degrees celcius, put in the chips until they get a nice colour, and when taking them out, drain the oil again with the same method of throwing them up several times in a basket.

Vegetable Oils are highly inflammatory (High in Omega-6s in which a western diet is already too high in), usually rancid by the time consumed and NOT actually something our body knows how to process. Use Lard or other fats. Animal fats do not make us fat.

I've never heard of rancid cooking oils? There are other oils though - canola oil or olive oil - they have lower amounts of saturated fats, but still have the good lipids that bodies need and don't generally get from other sources... Using lard over vegetable oil is super unhealthy. As unhealthy as critiquing the poor guy for teaching us how to make french fries!

Actualy Canola (Rapeseed) oil is the worst offender, likely GMO, super high in Omega-6s and always rancid by the time you consume as it usually sat on the self for years before consumed. Olive oil or other good fat oils would be better. Actually Lard for a pastured animal is super healthy compared to vegetable oil. In fact using bacon grease, tallow, duck fat would all be better choices than vegetable oil. I'm not critiquing the poor guy for teaching, I'm suggesting he and all of us use something other than vegetable oil. I'm guessing your reading this while consuming something cooked in Rapeseed. Enjoy Rapeseed :)

Thanks for the comments and ideas....i didn't realise this would be quite so popular. In response to people saying do them this/do them that way. Yes there are all sorts of methods but i personally believe this to be one of the best and have been applauded on them many times which is why i wrote this instructable.

Putting them in water is essential to remove starch an overnight soak even better, what ever way you soak them throwing them in the oil will not overflow if the pan is less than 1/3 full. (Just keep a wet towel handy if your worried)

People moaning about them being unhealthy....really who cares not me. They havnt made me fat or unhealthy maybe im lucky but my mother once said to me an Italian quote

Check out Heston Blumenthal's work on perfect chips—they are really the gold standard reference, though his recipe has been adapted variously. It's a triple-cooking technique in which the chips are first boiled until completely tender (20m or so), before being dried out and fried twice.

Wet chips should NEVER be put in hot fat, they should be dried first. Otherwise the fat is likely to boil over. A better way is to cut into chips, par boil for 5 minutes. Drain and put on baking sheet. Spray with one cal and sprinkle with salt/pepper/chili flakes and put in oven at 200c for 15 to 20 minutes. No mess or smell but delicious crispy and tasty chips.

To get the chips borderline crispy on the outside, fluffy inside, and not stuck together at all, you cook them once at the lower temperature, then lift the out of the fat whike you heat it right up, then dunk the chips back into the super-hot fat to brown off properly.

To get them extra fluffy in the middle like proper UK chips you should be blanching them for a few minutes then leaving to rest. THEN fry them like you say. And as for chucking wet things in hot fat, are you nuts? That is asking for a fire. Make sure they are not dripping with water or displacement will give you a nasty shock.

HAHAHA - the word 'spud' made me laugh:) I remember a scene on the old show "Night Court" where Dan Fielding (John Larroquette) had his family visit him, much to his dismay. They were country bumpkins and he was ashamed of them because they were so poor and backwards. He had this hilarious outburst where he told his father that he was ashamed because they were so poor that they couldn't afford to get him a dog, so all he had as a pet was a turtle and it didn't do anything, didn't ever move. His father looked at him and said something to the effect "You never had a turtle,boy. It was a spud, A SPUD son!" Thanks for conjuring up a happy memory. And, of course, for the recipe. I'm going to try it. Maybe use a little garlic salt:)

That looks the same way as my mom makes them.. Her fries are the best. Its very important to let them sit in the water to remove some starch. You know when she makes them as she adds some fresh crushed garlic. After they are done and out of the oil she adds the garlic. The smell in the house drive everyone crazy and rushing to the kitchen.. Im having fries tonight for dinner yummm..

For a crispier chip, par-boil for 5 minutes in the spare saucepan first, drain well, put saucepan lid and shake violently for a minute or two to make the surface of each chip rough and fluffy. Drain off any water again and tip them all into a hot chip pan.